CONTINUOUS CURDING PROCESS

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to a continuous curding method, typically for the continuous production of soy curd products. This invention also relates to an apparatus for continuously making curd.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] In China the making of soy curd products has traditionally been made by the same process for thousands of years.

[0003] Simply stated, soy curd products, such as tofu, are made by hand in such a way that soy milk made from soybeans that are ground and the fibre and milk separated. The soy milk is boiled and then coagulating agent is added and mixed to form the soy curd. Then the soy curd is put into a mold lined with cheesecloth and is pressed to remove whey. Then the pressed soy curd is removed from the mold and unwrapped from the cheesecloth. After which the soy curd is cut into desired sized blocks. This process is traditionally done by hand and as such is very labor intensive and time consuming and the finished product is not always guaranteed of a good and/or suitable quality batch. Over time parts of this process have been refined by introducing apparatus in attempt to speed up the soy making process such as mechanical stirrers or mechanical presses. However these apparatus still result batch processing of soy curd and they still involve steps that are preformed manually.

[0004] US-A- 6143351 describes as apparatus for continuously coagulating soymilk in which a mixture of soymilk and coagulant remain in a holding tube for a predetermined period of time to effect coagulation.

[0005] There is a need to maintain a desired consistency and particulate size of soy curd and a need to apply the desired amount of coagulant to react with the soy milk so that clumping does not occur and the consistency of the soy curd block thus formed is uniform and to the desired results.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0006] It is an object of the invention to provide an improved soy curd apparatus and method of producing soy curd products that ameliorate some of the disadvantage and limitations of the known art or at least provide the public with a useful choice.

STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0007] In one aspect the invention resides in an soy curd apparatus for continuously producing soy curd from soy milk wherein the apparatus includes:

a pump for continuously pumping soy milk and formed soy curd through the apparatus;

a coagulator dispensing means positioned downstream of said pump for adding a coagulant to the soy milk;

an expansion chamber positioned downstream of the coagulator dispensing means to allow the coagulant to mix with the soy milk to produce a pre-soy curd mixture;

a maturing means positioned downstream of the expansion chamber to allow further mixing of the pre-soy curd mixture and maturing of the pre soy curd mixture matures to form soy curd of a desired consistency and particular size;

a whey separating means positioned downstream of the maturing means for separating the whey from the curd;

a tower positioned downstream of the whey separating means to receive the formed curd, said tower adapted to remove residual whey from the soy curd to form a plug of soy curd in the tower of a desired consistency and moisture content and is adapted to cut the soy curd plug to form a block of soy curd at the downstream end of the tower;

a conveyor means positioned at the downstream end, wherein said conveyor means is adapted to receive the block of soy curd as the soy curd block exits the tower and then transport a severed soy curd block from the tower.

[0008] Preferably the pump is a positive displacement pump adapted to provide constant flow of soymilk and formed soy curd through the soy curd making apparatus.

[0009] Preferably the coagulator dispensing means is adapted to add coagulant at a constant flow rate to enable the desired consistency of soy curd to be produced.

[0010] Preferably the maturing means is a tube of predetermined length and configuration, wherein the length and configuration of the tube is adapted to enhance further mixing and maturing of the pre soy curd mixture and to prevent the pre soy curd mixture from sticking to the internal walls of the tube.

[0011] Preferably the tube has a helical or serpentine or s-type or sinusoidal configuration adapted to enable the soy curd to travel in a convoluted or meandering path through the tube to enhance further mixing and maturing of the pre soy curd mixture and to prevent the pre soy curd mixture from sticking to the internal walls of the tube.

[0012] Preferably the whey separating means has a chamber enclosing a perforated tube and a drain for removing whey, wherein the upstream end of the perforated tube is connected to the downstream end of the maturing means and the downstream end of the perforated tube is connected to the upstream end of the tower, and further wherein the perforated tube is adapted to express whey through the perforations of the perforated tube into the chamber and out through the drain as the soy curd moves through the perforated tube.

[0013] Preferably the whey separating means has a cutter means positioned at the upstream end of the perforated tube, wherein the cutter means is adapted to cut the soy curd as the soy curd enters the perforated tube to assist in the separating of whey.

[0014] Preferably the tower includes:

a perforated column adapted to receive soy curd from the whey separating means and adapted express residual whey through the perforations of the perforated column;

a residual whey collector adapted to collect and drain residual whey;

closure means positioned at the downstream end of the tower adapted to open and close at predetermined intervals, wherein in the open position a soy curd is able to exit the tower.

[0015] Preferably the tower is adapted to allow the soy curd to be compressed under it's own weight, typically due to gravitational forces, to enable residual whey to be expressed through the perforations in the perforated column.

[0016] Preferably the soy curd exits the tower, when the closure means is in an open position, typically under the influence of gravity.

[0017] Preferably the closure means includes a cutting blade adapted to cut the soy curd as the closure means moves from an open position to a closed position to enable a block of soy curd of predetermined height to be produced.

[0018] Preferably the conveyor means is adapted to transport a soy block in a horizontal direction away from the tower and wherein the conveyor means is adapted to move vertically towards and away from the closure means to assist in removing and forming soy curd block of a predetermined size as the soy curd exits the tower.

[0019] Preferably the conveyor means is adapted to be positioned in a uppermost position, as the closure means opens, immediately below the exit of the tower such that the soy curd exiting the tower falls on to the conveyor means and the conveyor means is also adapted to be positioned in a lowermost position as the closure means closes, wherein the distance between the uppermost and lowermost positions can be varied to allow for a soy curd blocks of different sizes to be formed.

[0020] Preferably the conveyor means has cutter means positioned downstream from the tower adapted to cut the soy curd blocks into smaller blocks and/or shapes.

[0021] In a second aspect the invention resides in a method of producing soy curd utilising the apparatus of the first aspect hereinbefore described, where the method includes the steps of:

continuously pumping soy milk through the pump to force the soy milk and the formed soy curd through the soy curd apparatus;

adding a coagulant to the soy milk via the coagulator dispensing means downstream of said pump;

allowing the soy milk coagulant mixture to mix in the expansion chamber positioned downstream of the coagulator dispensing means to from a pre-soy curd mixture;

moving the pre soy mixture through the maturing means positioned downstream of the expansion chamber to further mix the pre-soy curd mixture to allow the pre soy mixture to mature to form soy curd of a desired consistency and particular size;

passing the soy curd through the whey separating means positioned downstream of the maturing means to separate the whey from the soy curd;

allowing the soy curd to enter the tower positioned downstream of the whey separating means wherein in the tower the soy curd is further compressed, typically under the soy curds own weight, and residual whey is removed from the soy curd, thus forming a plug of soy curd in the tower of a desired consistency and moisture content.

allowing the soy curd to fall, typically under gravity, onto a conveyor means positioned at the downstream end of the tower, wherein said conveyor means receives the soy curd plus as the soy curd plus exits the tower and then the plug of soy curd is severed to form a block of soy curd which is then transported away from the tower by the conveyer means.

[0022] Other aspects of the invention are herein described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figure, i.e. Figure 1 which is plan view of a soy curd apparatus in accordance to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

[0024] The figure shows a soy curd apparatus 1 in accordance to the invention. The soy curd apparatus 1 continuously produces soy curd 10 from soymilk SM. The soy curd apparatus has a pump 2, typically a positive displacement pump that pumps soymilk SM and soy curd through the soy curd apparatus. Downstream from the pump 2 a coagulant 31 is added to the soymilk SM via a coagulant dispenser after which the soymilk coagulant mixture 41 enters an expansion chamber 4 to allow the soymilk coagulant mixture 41 to mix together to form a pre-soy curd mixture 42.

[0025] The pre-soy curd mixture 42 is then forced, due to the action of the pump 2, through a maturing means 5 positioned downstream of the expansion chamber 4 to allow further mixing of the pre-soy curd mixture and wherein the pre-soy curd mixture matures to form soy curd 52 of a desired consistency and particular size. Typically the maturing means 5 is a tube 51 having a predetermined length and configuration that enhances the further mixing and maturing of the soy curd 52 and prevents the pre soy curd 52 sticking to the internal walls of the tube 51 as the soy curd moves through the tube 51. Typically the tube 51 has a helical or serpentine or s-type or sinusoidal configuration to enable the soy curd 52 to travel in a convoluted or meandering path through the tube 51.

[0026] Downstream from the maturing means 5 is a whey separator 6 for separating whey 101 from the soy curd 52. The whey separator 6 typically consists of a chamber 61 enclosing a perforated tube 62 and a drain 63 for removing whey 101. The upstream end of the perforated tube 62 is connected to the downstream end of the maturing means 4 and the downstream end of the perforated tube 62 is connected to the upstream end of the tower 7, Whey is expressed through the perforations of the perforated tube 62 into the chamber 61 and out through the drain 63 as the soy curd 67 moves through the perforated tube 62. To assist in the separation of the whey from the soy curd a cutter means, typically a knife 64 is positioned at the upstream end of the perforated tube 62. The knife 64, preferably in a reciprocal movement 65, is adapted to cut the soy curd as the soy curd enters the perforated tube 62, thus releasing the whey from the soy curd.

[0027] After leaving the whey separator 6 the soy curd 67, 73 enters a tower 7. The tower 7 includes a perforated column 71, a residual whey collector 72 and a closure means 8. Soy curd 10 within the tower 7 is compressed under its own weight, typically due to gravitational forces, and as such residual whey is expressed from the soy curd 10 through the perforations in the perforated column 72. The residual whey collector 72 collects whey 102 expressed from the soy curd through perorations in the perorated column 71 and drains the residual whey through a drain 73. The closure means 8 is positioned across the exit at the downstream end of the tower. The closure means 8 is adapted to open and close predetermined intervals corresponding to a desired length of time required for the soy curd to form a plug 10 of soy curd having the desired consistency and moisture content. The closure means 8 has a cutting blade 82 adapted to cut the plug soy curd 10 as the closure means moves (81) from an open position to a closed position to produce a block of soy curd 11. The soy curd plug 10 exits the tower 7, typically under the influence of gravity, when the closure means 8 is in an open position.

[0028] A conveyor 9 is positioned at exit of the tower to receive the block of soy curd 11 as the soy curd plug 10 exits the tower 7 and then transports the soy curd blocks 11, 12 away in a horizontal direction (96) from the tower 7 to another conveyor 95. The conveyor 9 is able to move vertically towards and away from the exit of the tower 7. When in the uppermost position the conveyor 9 is immediately below the tower exit to receive the plug 10 of soy curd as it exits the tower 7 when the closure means 8 is in an open position. The conveyor 9 is lowered toward a lowermost position a distance 93 that equates to a desired soy curd block height. After which the closure means 8 closes and servers the soy curd with the cutting blade 82 to from the of soy curd 11. The conveyor 9 can be raised by any suitable raising and lowering means 92 such as a pneumatic or hydraulic ram. Typically the conveyor 9, 95 has further cutter means (not shown) positioned downstream from the tower 7 to cut the soy curd blocks 11, 12 into smaller blocks and/or shapes.

ADVANTAGES

[0029] The advantages of the present invention over the prior art an be said to include the following:

The continuous making of soy curd;

The ability to achieve soy curd of a constant and desired consistency;

No mold and no cloth;

Able to clean in place, thus more hygienic and less contamination of the soy product;

Flexibility, as different size and/or consistency of soy curd blocks can be obtained;

Space saving, as less factory space is required for the apparatus;

Reduced labour costs;

Cost benefit savings.

VARIATIONS

[0030] Throughout the description of this specification the word "comprise" and variations of that word such as "comprises" and "comprising", are not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps.

[0031] It is to be understood that the scope of the invention is not limited to the described embodiments and therefore that numerous variations and modifications may be made to these embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A soy curding apparatus for continuously producing soy curd from soy milk wherein the apparatus includes:

a) a pump for continuously pumping soy milk and formed soy curd through the apparatus;

b) a coagulator dispensing means positioned downstream of said pump for adding a coagulant to the soy milk;

c) an expansion chamber positioned downstream of the coagulator dispensing means to allow the coagulant to mix with the soy milk to produce a pre-soy curd mixture;

d) a maturing means positioned downstream of the expansion chamber to allow further mixing of the pre-soy curd mixture and maturing of the pre soy curd mixture matures to form soy curd of a desired consistency and particular size;

e) a whey separating means positioned downstream of the maturing means for separating the whey from the curd;

f) a tower positioned downstream of the whey separating means to receive the formed curd, said tower adapted to remove residual whey from the soy curd to form a plug of soy curd in the tower of a desired consistency and moisture content and is adapted to cut the soy curd plug to form a block of soy curd at the downstream end of the tower;

g) a conveyor means positioned at the downstream end, wherein said conveyor means is adapted to receive the block of soy curd as the soy curd block exits the tower and then transport a severed soy curd block from the tower.

2. A soy curding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pump is a positive displacement pump adapted to provide constant flow of soymilk and formed soy curd through the soy curd making apparatus.

3. A soy curding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coagulator dispensing means is adapted to add coagulant at a constant flow rate to enable the desired consistency of soy curd to be produced.

4. A soy curding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the maturing means is a tube of predetermined length and configuration, wherein the length and configuration of the tube is adapted to enhance further mixing and maturing of the pre soy curd mixture and to prevent the pre soy curd mixture from sticking to the internal walls of the tube.

5. A soy curding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the maturing means is a tube having a helical or serpentine or s-type or sinusoidal configuration adapted to enable the soy curd to travel in a convoluted or meandering path through the tube to enhance further mixing and maturing of the pre soy curd mixture and to prevent the pre soy curd mixture from sticking to the internal walls of the tube.

6. A soy curding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the whey separating means has a chamber enclosing a perforated tube and a drain for removing whey, wherein the upstream end of the perforated tube is connected to the downstream end of the maturing means and the downstream end of the perforated tube is connected to the upstream end of the tower, and further wherein the perforated tube is adapted to express whey through the perforations of the perforated tube into the chamber and out through the drain as the soy curd moves through the perforated tube.

7. A soy curding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the whey separating means has a cutter means positioned at the upstream end of the perforated tube, wherein the cutter means is adapted to cut the soy curd as the soy curd enters the perforated tube to assist in the separating of whey.

8. A soy curding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tower includes:

a) a perforated column adapted to receive soy curd from the whey separating means and adapted express residual whey through the perforations of the perforated column;

b) a residual whey collector adapted to collect and drain residual whey;

c) closure means positioned at the downstream end of the tower adapted to open and close at predetermined intervals, wherein in the open position a soy curd is able to exit the tower.

9. A soy curding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tower comprises a perforated column adapted to allow the soy curd to be compressed under it's own weight, typically due to gravitational forces, to enable residual whey to be expressed through the perforations in the perforated column.

10. A soy curding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the soy curd exits the tower, through a closure means when in an open position, typically under the influence of gravity.

11. A soy curding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein there is a closure means that includes a cutting blade adapted to cut the soy curd as the closure means moves from an open position to a closed position to enable a block of soy curd of predetermined height to be produced.

12. A soy curding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conveyor means is adapted to transport a soy block in a horizontal direction away from the tower and wherein the conveyor means is adapted to move vertically towards and away from the closure means to assist in removing and forming soy curd block of a predetermined size as the soy curd exits the tower.

13. A soy curding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conveyor means is adapted to be positioned in a uppermost position, as a closure means opens, immediately below the exit of the tower such that the soy curd exiting the tower falls on to the conveyor means and the conveyor means is also adapted to be positioned in a lowermost position as the closure means closes, wherein the distance between the uppermost and lowermost positions can be varied to allow for a soy curd blocks of different sizes to be formed.

14. A soy curding apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the conveyor means has cutter means positioned downstream from the tower adapted to cut the soy curd blocks into smaller blocks and/or shapes.

15. A method of producing soy curd utilising the apparatus of claim 1, where the method includes the steps of:

a) continuously pumping soy milk through the pump to force the soy milk and the formed soy curd through the soy curd apparatus;

b) adding a coagulant to the soy milk via the coagulator dispensing means downstream of said pump;

c) allowing the soy milk coagulant mixture to mix in the expansion chamber positioned downstream of the coagulator dispensing means to from a pre-soy curd mixture;

d) moving the pre soy mixture through the maturing means positioned downstream of the expansion chamber to further mix the pre-soy curd mixture to allow the pre soy mixture to mature to form soy curd of a desired consistency and particular size;

e) passing the soy curd through the whey separating means positioned downstream of the maturing means to separate the whey from the soy curd;

f) allowing the soy curd to enter the tower positioned downstream of the whey separating means wherein in the tower the soy curd is further compressed, typically under the soy curds own weight, and residual whey is removed from the soy curd, thus forming a plug of soy curd in the tower of a desired consistency and moisture content.

g) allowing the soy curd to fall, typically under gravity, onto a conveyor means positioned at the downstream end of the tower, wherein said conveyor means receives the soy curd plug as the soy curd plug exits the tower and then the plug of soy curd is severed to form a block of soy curd which is then transported away from the tower by the conveyer means.

Ansprüche

1. Soja-Koagulierungsapparat zum kontinuierlichen Herstellen von Sojaquark aus Sojamilch, wobei der Apparat einschließt:

a) eine Pumpe zum kontinuierlichen Pumpen von Sojamilch und gebildetem Sojaquark durch den Apparat;

b) ein Koagulator-Abgabemittel, positioniert stromabwärts von besagter Pumpe, zum Zugeben eines Koagulationsmittels zur Sojamilch;

c) einen Expansionsraum, positioniert stromabwärts vom Koagulator-Abgabemittel, um es dem Koagulationsmittel zu erlauben, sich mit der Sojamilch zu mischen, um ein Vor-Sojaquarkgemisch herzustellen;

d) ein Reifungsmittel, positioniert stromabwärts vom Expansionsraum, um weiteres Mischen des Vor-Sojaquarkgemisches zu erlauben und Reifen des Vor-Sojaquarkgemisches reift, um Sojaquark mit einer gewünschten Konsistenz und besonderen Größe zu bilden;

e) ein Molketrennmittel, positioniert stromabwärts vom Reifungsmittel, um die Molke vom Quark zu trennen;

f) ein Turm, positioniert stromabwärts vom Molketrennmittel, um den gebildeten Quark aufzunehmen, wobei besagter Turm angepasst ist, um rückständige Molke aus dem Sojaquark zu entfernen, um einen Pfropfen aus Sojaquark in dem Turm mit einer gewünschten Konsistenz und Feuchtigkeitsgehalt zu bilden, und angepasst ist, um den Sojaquark-Propfen zu schneiden, um einen Block aus Sojaquark am Stromabwärts-Ende des Turms zu bilden.

g) ein Fördermittel, positioniert am Stromabwärts-Ende, wobei besagtes Fördermittel angepasst ist, um den Block aus Sojaquark aufzunehmen, wenn der Sojaquark-Block aus dem Turm austritt und dann einen abgeschnittenen Sojaquark-Block vom Turm zu transportieren.

2. Soja-Koagulierungsapparat wie in Anspruch 1 beansprucht, worin die Pumpe eine Verdrängungspumpe ist, angepasst, um konstanten Fluss von Sojamilch und gebildetem Sojaquark durch den Sojaquark-Herstellungsapparat vorzusehen.

3. Soja-Koagulierungsapparat wie in Anspruch 1 beansprucht, worin das Koagulator-Abgabemittel angepasst ist, um Koagulationsmittel bei konstanter Fließgeschwindigkeit zuzugeben, um die gewünschte Konsistenz von herzustellendem Sojaquark zu ermöglichen.

4. Soja-Koagulierungsapparat wie in Anspruch 1 beansprucht, worin das Reifungsmittel ein Rohr von vorbestimmter Länge und Konfiguration ist, wobei die Länge und Konfiguration des Rohrs angepasst ist, um weiteres Mischen und Reifen des Vor-Sojaquarkgemisches zu erhöhen, und um das Vor-Sojaquarkgemisch vorm Kleben an die Innenwände des Rohrs zu bewahren.

5. Soja-Koagulierungsapparat wie in Anspruch 1 beansprucht, worin das Reifungsmittel ein Rohr mit einer Schrauben- oder Serpentinen- oder S-Typ- oder sinusförmigen Konfiguration ist, angepasst, um es dem Sojaquark zu ermöglichen, in einem gewundenen oder sich schlängelnden Weg durch das Rohr zu wandern, um weiteres Mischen und Reifen des Vor-Sojaquarkgemisches zu erhöhen, und um das Vor-Sojaquarkgemisch vorm Kleben an die Innenwände des Rohrs zu bewahren.

6. Soja-Koagulierungsapparat wie in Anspruch 1 beansprucht, worin das Molketrennmittel eine Kammer hat, welche ein perforiertes Rohr und einen Abfluss zum Entfernen von Molke einschließt, worin das Stromaufwärts-Ende des perforierten Rohrs mit dem Stromabwärts-Ende des Reifungsmittels verbunden ist und das Stromabwärts-Ende des perforierten Rohrs mit dem Stromaufwärts-Ende des Turms verbunden ist, und worin ferner das perforierte Rohr angepasst ist, um Molke durch die Perforationen des perforierten Rohrs in die Kammer und heraus durch den Abfluss zu drücken, wenn sich der Sojaquark durch das perforierte Rohr bewegt.

7. Soja-Koagulierungsapparat wie in Anspruch 1 beansprucht, worin das Molketrennmittel ein Schneidemittel hat, positioniert am Stromaufwärts-Ende des perforierten Rohrs, wobei das Schneidemittel angepasst ist, um den Sojaquark zu schneiden, wenn der Sonjaquark in das perforierte Rohr eintritt, um die Abtrennung der Molke zu unterstützen.

8. Soja-Koagulierungsapparat wie in Anspruch 1 beansprucht, worin der Turm einschließt:

a) eine perforierte Säule, angepasst, um Sojaquark aus dem Molketrennmittel aufzunehmen, und angepasst, um rückständige Molke durch die Perforationen der perforierten Säule auszudrücken;

b) einen Sammelbehälter für rückständige Molke, angepasst, um rückständige Molke zu sammeln und ablaufen zu lassen;

c) Verschlussmittel, positioniert am Stromabwärts-Ende des Turms, angepasst, um sich bei vorbestimmten Intervallen zu öffnen und zu schließen, wo bei offener Position ein Sojaquark aus dem Turm austreten kann.

9. Soja-Koagulierungsapparat wie in Anspruch 1 beansprucht, worin der Turm eine perforierte Säule umfasst, angepasst, um es dem Sojaquark zu erlauben, unter seinem eigenen Gewicht zusammengedrückt zu werden, typischerweise als Folge von Gravitationskräften, um es rückständiger Molke zu ermöglichen, durch die Perforationen in der perforierten Säule herausgedrückt zu werden.

10. Soja-Koagulierungsapparat wie in Anspruch 1 beansprucht, worin der Sojaquark durch ein Verschlussmittel wenn in offener Position typischerweise unter Einfluss von Gravitation aus dem Turm austritt.

11. Soja-Koagulierungsapparat wie in Anspruch 1 beansprucht, worin es ein Verschlussmittel gibt, das eine Klinge einschließt, angepasst, um den Sojaquark zu schneiden, wenn sich das Verschlussmittel von einer offenen Position zu einer geschlossenen Position bewegt, um zu ermöglichen, dass ein Block aus Sojaquark mit vorbestimmter Höhe hergestellt wird.

12. Soja-Koagulierungsapparat wie in Anspruch 1 beansprucht, worin das Fördermittel angepasst ist, um einen Sojablock in einer horizontalen Richtung weg vom Turm zu transportieren, und worin das Fördermittel angepasst ist, um sich vertikal zum und weg vom Verschlussmittel zu bewegen, um Entfernen und Bilden von Sojaquark-Block mit einer vorbestimmten Größe zu unterstützen, wenn der Sojaquark aus dem Turm austritt.

13. Soja-Koagulierungsapparat wie in Anspruch 1 beansprucht, worin das Fördermittel angepasst ist, in einer höchsten Position positioniert zu sein, wenn sich ein Verschlussmittel öffnet, direkt unterhalb des Ausgangs des Turms, so dass der Sojaquark, welcher aus dem Turm austritt, auf das Fördermittel fällt, und das Fördermittel auch angepasst ist, um in einer niedrigsten Position positioniert zu sein, wenn sich das Verschlussmittel schließt, wobei die Entfernung zwischen den höchsten und niedrigsten Positionen variiert werden kann, um zu erlauben, dass Sojaquark-Blöcke mit verschiedenen Größen gebildet werden.

14. Soja-Koagulierungsapparat wie in Anspruch 1 beansprucht, worin das Fördermittel Schneidemittel hat, positioniert stromabwärts vom Turm, angepasst, um die Sojaquark-Blöcke in kleinere Blöcke und/oder Formen zu schneiden.

15. Verfahren zum Herstellen von Sojaquark unter Nutzung des Apparats von Anspruch 1, wobei das Verfahren die Schritte einschließt:

a) kontinuierliches Pumpen von Sojamilch durch die Pumpe, um die Sojamilch und den gebildeten Sojaquark durch den Sojaquark-Apparat zu zwingen;

b) Zugeben eines Koagulationsmittels zur Sojamilch über das Koagulator-Abgabemittel stromabwärts von besagter Pumpe;

c) es dem Sojamilch-Koagulationsmittel-Gemisch erlauben, sich in dem Expansionsraum, positioniert stromabwärts vom Koagulator-Abgabemittel, zu mischen, um ein Vor-Sojaquarkgemisch zu bilden;

d) Bewegen des Vor-Sojaquarkgemisches durch das Reifungsmittel, positioniert stromabwärts vom Expansionsraum, um das Vor-Sojaquarkgemisch weiter zu mischen, um es dem Vor-Sojaquarkgemisch zu erlauben zu reifen, um einen Sojaquark mit einer gewünschten Konsistenz und besonderen Größe zu bilden;

e) Passieren des Sojaquarks durch das Molketrennmittel, positioniert stromabwärts vom Reifungsmittel, um die Molke vom Sojaquark zu trennen;

f) es dem Sojaquark erlauben, den Turm, positioniert stromabwärts vom Molketrennmittel, zu betreten, wobei in dem Turm der Sojaquark weiter zusammengedrückt wird, typischerweise unter dem eigenen Gewicht des Sojaquarks, und rückständige Molke aus dem Sojaquark entfernt wird, um so einen Pfropfen aus Sojaquark in dem Turm mit einer gewünschten Konsistenz und Feuchtigkeitsgehalt zu bilden,

g) es dem Sojaquark erlauben, typischerweise unter Gravität auf ein Fördermittel, positioniert am Stromabwärts-Ende des Turms, zu fallen, wobei besagtes Fördermittel den Sojaquark-Pfropfen aufnimmt, wenn der Sojaquark-Pfropfen aus dem Turm austritt, und der Pfropfen aus Sojaquark dann geschnitten wird, um einen Block aus Sonjaquark zu bilden, welcher dann durch das Fördermittel vom Turm weg transportiert wird.

Revendications

1. Appareil de caillage du soja pour produire en continu un caillé de soja à partir du lait de soja, l'appareil comprenant :

a) une pompe pour aspirer en continu le lait de soja et le caillé de soja formé, dans l'appareil ;

b) un moyen de distribution d'un coagulateur placé en aval de ladite pompe pour ajouter un coagulant au lait de soja ;

c) une chambre d'expansion placée en aval du moyen de distribution du coagulateur pour permettre au coagulant de se mélanger au lait de soja pour produire un mélange de soja pré-caillé ;

d) un moyen de maturation placé en aval de la chambre d'expansion pour permettre de mélanger encore le mélange de soja pré-caillé et la maturation du mélange de soja pré-caillé s'effectue pour former un caillé de soja d'une consistance souhaitée et d'une taille particulière ;

e) un moyen de séparation du petit-lait placé en aval du moyen de maturation pour séparer le petit-lait du caillé ;

f) une tour placée en aval du moyen de séparation du petit-lait pour recevoir le caillé formé, ladite tour étant adaptée pour éliminer le petit-lait résiduel du caillé de soja pour former un bouchon de caillé de soja dans la tour, d'une consistance et d'une teneur en humidité souhaitées et étant adaptée pour couper le bouchon de caillé de soja pour former un bloc de caillé de soja à l'extrémité en aval de la tour ;

g) un moyen de transport placé au niveau de l'extrémité en aval, ledit moyen de transport étant adapté pour recevoir le bloc de caillé de soja lorsque le bloc de caillé de soja sort de la tour puis pour transporter un bloc de caillé de soja coupé à partir de la tour.

2. Appareil de caillage du soja selon la revendication 1, dans lequel la pompe est une pompe volumétrique adaptée pour assurer un flux constant du lait de soja et du caillé de soja formé dans l'appareil entraînant le caillage du soja.

3. Appareil de caillage du soja selon la revendication 1, dans lequel le moyen de distribution du coagulateur est adapté pour ajouter le coagulant à un débit constant pour permettre de produire le caillé de soja à la consistance souhaitée.

4. Appareil de caillage du soja selon la revendication 1, dans lequel le moyen de maturation est un tube de longueur et de configuration prédéterminées, la longueur et la configuration du tube étant adaptées pour renforcer encore le mélange et la maturation du mélange de soja pré-caillé et pour empêcher le mélange de soja pré-caillé d'adhérer aux parois internes du tube.

5. Appareil de caillage du soja selon la revendication 1, dans lequel le moyen de maturation est un tube ayant une configuration hélicoïdale ou en serpentin ou en S ou sinusoïdale adaptée pour permettre au caillé de soja d'être acheminé dans une voie spiralée ou sinueuse dans le tube pour renforcer encore le mélange et la maturation du mélange de soja pré-caillé et pour empêcher mélange de soja pré-caillé d'adhérer aux parois internes du tube.

6. Appareil de caillage du soja selon la revendication 1, dans lequel le moyen de séparation du petit-lait a une chambre renfermant un tube perforé et un drain pour éliminer le petit-lait, l'extrémité en amont du tube perforé étant reliée à l'extrémité en aval du moyen de maturation et l'extrémité en aval du tube perforé étant reliée à l'extrémité en amont de la tour, et en outre, le tube perforé étant adapté pour exprimer le petit-lait par les perforations du tube perforé dans la chambre et hors de celle-ci par le drain, lorsque le caillé de soja est acheminé dans le tube perforé.

7. Appareil de caillage du soja selon la revendication 1, dans lequel le moyen de séparation du petit-lait a un moyen de découpe placé au niveau de l'extrémité en amont du tube perforé, le moyen de découpe étant adapté pour couper le caillé de soja lorsque le caillé de soja entre dans le tube perforé pour aider à séparer le petit-lait.

8. Appareil de caillage du soja selon la revendication 1, dans lequel la tour comprend :

a) une colonne perforée adaptée pour recevoir le caillé de soja du moyen de séparation du petit-lait et adaptée pour exprimer le petit-lait résiduel par les perforations de la colonne perforée ;

b) un collecteur du petit-lait résiduel adapté pour recueillir et drainer le petit-lait résiduel ;

c) un moyen de fermeture placé au niveau de l'extrémité en aval de la tour, adapté pour s'ouvrir et se fermer à intervalles prédéterminés, un caillé de soja pouvant sortir de la tour en position ouverte.

9. Appareil de caillage du soja selon la revendication 1, dans lequel la tour comprend une colonne perforée adaptée pour permettre au caillé de soja d'être compressé par son propre poids, généralement en raison des forces de gravité, pour permettre au petit-lait résiduel d'être exprimé par les performations dans la colonne perforée.

10. Appareil de caillage du soja selon la revendication 1, dans lequel le caillé de soja sort de la tour par un moyen de fermeture lorsqu'il est en position ouverte, généralement, sous l'effet de la gravité.

11. Appareil de caillage du soja selon la revendication 1, qui comprend un moyen de fermeture comprenant une lame coupante adaptée pour couper le caillé de soja lorsque le moyen de fermeture passe d'une position ouverte à une position fermée pour permettre de produire un bloc de caillé de soja de poids prédéterminé.

12. Appareil de caillage du soja selon la revendication 1, dans lequel le moyen de transport est adapté pour transporter un bloc de soja dans une direction horizontale s'éloignant de la tour et dans lequel le moyen de transport est adapté pour s'approcher et s'éloigner verticalement du moyen de fermeture pour aider à retirer et à former le bloc de caillé de soja d'une taille prédéterminée lorsque le caillé de soja sort de la tour.

13. Appareil de caillage du soja selon la revendication 1, dans lequel le moyen de transport est adapté pour être placé dans une position supérieure lorsque le moyen de fermeture s'ouvre, immédiatement sous la sortie de la tour de sorte que le caillé de soja sortant de la tour tombe sur le moyen de transport et le moyen de transport est également adapté pour être placé dans une position inférieure lorsque le moyen de fermeture se ferme, la distance entre les positions supérieure et inférieure pouvant varier pour permettre de former des blocs de caillé de soja de tailles différentes.

14. Appareil de caillage du soja selon la revendication 1, dans lequel le moyen de transport a un moyen de découpe placé en aval de la tour, adapté pour couper les blocs de caillé de soja en blocs et/ou formes plus petits.

15. Procédé de production d'un caillé de soja utilisant l'appareil selon la revendication 1, le procédé comprenant les étapes consistant à :

a) aspirer en continu le lait de soja par la pompe pour faire passer le lait de soja et le caillé de soja formé dans l'appareil de caillage du soja ;

b) ajouter un coagulant au lait de soja via le moyen de distribution du coagulateur en aval de ladite pompe ;

c) permettre le mélange du coagulant de lait de soja dans la chambre d'expansion placée en aval du moyen de distribution du coagulateur pour former un mélange de soja pré-caillé ;

d) acheminer le mélange de soja pré-caillé dans le moyen de maturation placé en aval de la chambre d'expansion pour mélanger encore le mélange de soja pré-caillé pour permettre au mélange de soja pré-caillé de parvenir à maturation pour former un caillé de soja d'une consistance souhaitée et d'une taille particulière ;

e) faire passer le caillé de soja dans le moyen de séparation du petit-lait placé en aval du moyen de maturation pour séparer le petit-lait du caillé de soja ;

f) permettre au caillé de soja d'entrer dans la tour placée en aval du moyen de séparation du petit-lait, le caillé de soja étant encore compressé dans la tour, généralement sous l'effet du propre poids des caillés de soja, et le petit-lait résiduel est éliminé du caillé de soja, formant ainsi un bouchon de caillé de soja dans la tour, d'une consistance et d'une teneur en humidité souhaitées ;

g) permettre au caillé de soja de tomber, généralement sous l'effet de la gravité, sur un moyen de transport placé au niveau de l'extrémité en aval de la tour, ledit moyen de transport recevant le bouchon de caillé de soja lorsque le bouchon de caillé de soja sort de la tour, puis le bouchon de caillé de soja est coupé pour former un bloc de caillé de soja qui est ensuite transporté à distance de la tour par le moyen de transport.

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